Ice tray



H. D. GEYER ICE TRAY Filed May 7. 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 26, 1939.D. GEYER ICE TRAY Filed May 7, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented'Dec. 261939 UNITED \S.TAT'ES' PATENT. oFF-ica ICE TRAY Y Harvey D. Geyer,Dayton, Ohio, assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit,ltiich.,.a corporation of Delaware Application May '1. 1931. Serial No.141,234

8 Claims. (Cl. 6

and some flexible non-metallic partition walls J whereby to obtainfaster freezing than is obtainable with a grid having all partitionwalls of flexible rubber or other non-metallic material.

Another object is to provide a freezing grid having a series of separateinetal partition walls loosely joined together to form a relatively longnon-rigid metal partition wall which may be easily distorted tofacilitate the removal of the frozen ice blocks.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparentfrom the following description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings wherein a preferred embodi- 25 ment of the present invention isclearly shown.

In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a plan view of an ice tray and removable gridtherein made according to this inven- Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 ofFig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section on line H of Fig. 1. w ti Fig. 4 is a detailview of one of the cross partions.

Fig. 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Fig. 4. Figs. 6 and 7 are side viewand cross section respectively of one end element of themetal partition.

Figs. 8 and 9 are side view and cross section respectively of oneintermediate element of the ,40 metal partition.

. on closed in applicants copending application Serial No. 88,559, filedJuly 2, 1936.

The removable grid comprises a, series of separate metal sections II,II, and il loosely attached together to form-the central longitudinalparti- 55 tion walldesi/gnated asa whole by numeral ii.

The end metal section II is preferably flatwith a vertical slot I! atone edge thereof as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. The other end metal sectionl3 has anoflfset edge portion it having a vertical slot i1 therein (seeFigs. 10 and 11). The inter- 5 mediate "metal sections I! each has asimilar oilset edge portion l8 with a vertical slot I'I therein T andalso a vertical slot I! at the other vertical edge thereof. All theintermediate sections i2 may be made identical in form as shown in Figs.8 and 9, and every alternate section i2 may be simply reversed top forbottom to obtain the arrangement shown in Fig. ,1; When the metalsections l I, I2. and I3 are all arranged in slightly overlappingrelation as shown in Fig. 1,-the verti- 15 cal slots I! will register ateach overlap.

The flexiblenon-ametallic cross partitions are shaped as shown in Figs.4 and 5 and are preferably cut to shape from a flat sheet of flexiblerubher or other suitable flexible non-metallic mate- 20 rial which maybe easily peeled from the frozen ice blocks bonded thereto. Theseflexible cross partition's 20 are slotted out at slots 22 to provide acentral neck portion 2| of such dimensions as will fit, snugly withinthe registered slots i1 25 in the overlapping metal. sections andthereby yleldably hold. said metal sections together.

The parts are assembled'together in a verysimple. and eflicient manneras follows. The

wide portions of the cross members 20 are suf- 80 flciently flexible andstretchable as to be threaded thru thealigned slots il in twooverlapping metal sections simply 'by inserting a corner of member 20thru the slot l1 and then pulling half of the flexible member 20 thrusaid slot until the neck portion Zisnaps into place and substantiallyfllls the slot II. The edges of slots 22 form yielding shoulders whichabut snugly against the lateral surfaces of the overlapping metalsections and so retain these overlapping portions in 40 1 mutual'lateralcontact.

In operation, the removable grid is set down into the pan ili eitherbefore or after pan i0 is filled with water'to the desired level; Thepan is thenset within a freezing compartment until the ice is solidlyfrozen. To remove the ice blocks from the tray, the grid and icecontents are first removed from the pan as a unit by any suitable or pesently known method. The grid may then be r dily flexed by hand bybending or twisting same from. end to end or by anyother suitabledistortion thereof to cause the ice blocks to loosen therefrom. Sincethe central metal partition wall is'composed of metal sections yieldablyjoined together so as tobe relatively movable members and 'a pluralityof flexible rubber par titioning members, said metal members beingyieldably held together by said rubber members.

2. A freezing tr'ay having a removable grid, said grid comprising aseries of separate metal partition walls arranged in substantialalignment to form a composite partition wall, and a series of flexiblerubber partition walls, said metal partition walls being yieldably heldtogether by said rubber partition walls.

3. A freezing tray having a removable grid, said grid comprising aseries of separate metal partition walls having slightly overlappingpor-" tions, and a series of flexible rubber partition wallsintersecting said overlapping portions and yieldably holding saidoverlapping portions together. .4

4. A freezing tray having a removablegrid, said grid comprising a seriesof separate metal partition walls loosely joined together to form arelatively long non-rigid partition wall, and a series of flexiblerubber partition walls, said separate metal walls being loosely joinedtogether by said rubber walls.

5. A freezing tray having a removable grid, said grid comprising a mainlongitudinally expansible metal partition wall having longitudinallyexpansible joints therein and a series of separate flexible rubberpartition wallsextending transversely across said metal wall and securedthereto. I l r 6- A freezing tray having a removable grid, said gridcomprising a series of separate metal partition walls having slightlyoverlapping slotted portions having substantially aligned slots therein,and a series of flexible rubber partition walls intersecting saidoverlapping portions and having flexible'rubber portions extendingthrough said aligned slots in said metal walls.

'7. A freezing tray having a removable grid, said grid comprising: amain longitudinal metal partition wall having expansible joints thereinwhich v facilitate bending of said main wall in its longitudinal plane,and a series of flexible rubber cross partition walls extendingtransverse to said main wall and carried thereby.

8. A freezing tray having a removable grid, said grid comprising: a mainlongitudinal metal rpartition wall having expansible joints thereinwhich facilitate bending of said main wall in-its longitudinal plane,and a series of readily dis-- tortable rubber cross partition wallsextending across said main wall and forming therewith two rows of iceblock compartments, said cross walls being distortable by the bending ofsaid main wall in its longitudinal plane, to facilitate the removal ofthe frozen ice blocks'therefrom.

HARVEY D. GEYER.

